School moves prom night to avoid conflict with Ramadan

Fatima Mohammed successfully pushed to move the senior prom date so it wouldn't conflict with Ramadan.

Fatima Mohammed successfully pushed to move the senior prom date so it wouldn't conflict with Ramadan.

Photo: Schenectady City School District

Photo: Schenectady City School District

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Fatima Mohammed successfully pushed to move the senior prom date so it wouldn't conflict with Ramadan.

Fatima Mohammed successfully pushed to move the senior prom date so it wouldn't conflict with Ramadan.

Photo: Schenectady City School District

School moves prom night to avoid conflict with Ramadan

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SCHENECTADY — Fatima Mohammed had a dilemma. While it had received little prior attention, the difficulty centered on something that had dogged Schenectady High School’s growing Muslim student population for the last few years.

The senior prom at Saratoga’s Hall of Springs was set for May 31. The trouble was, that was during Ramadan, the month-long period when Muslims reflect on their faith and refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours.

“I had my dress picked out for the last three years,” said Mohammed, a senior.

She had been looking forward to the prom, but that was before she realized that it fell during Ramadan. As well a running afoul of her Muslim religious beliefs, attending a party with loud music and the inevitable flirting with boys was a no-go for her Afghan-born parents.

"You're not really supposed to be around boys," Mohammed added in a video posted on the Schenectady school district's website, outlining her effort to get the date changed. "A lot of students don't go to prom because of Ramadan."

Mohammed mentioned the problem to her friend and classmate Ja’Deana Cognetta-Whitfield. While not Muslim herself, Cognetta-Whitfield was taken aback. “That was surprising,” she said, explaining that she didn’t realize the prom for the past few years had effectively been off limits to Muslim seniors due to the conflict with Ramadan.

Ramadan is based on the Islamic lunar calendar, and its duration migrates throughout the seasons. This year, it runs from May 5 to June 4.

The students brought the issue to school administrators but were initially rebuffed. Arrangements for the prom, especially at popular venues like the Hall of Springs, are made years in advance.

“They had reservations. They do prom stuff years ahead,” said Mohammed.

A couple of weeks went by and Cognetta-Whitfield brought the issue to the school’s Teen Tac-D organization, a student group that works to promote social justice. There were meetings with other administrators and an English teacher, Colleen Wygal also joined the effort to try and change the date. “That’s pretty much what got us to yes,” Cognetta-Whitfield said.

There was one obstacle though, said Susie Walsh, an English teacher and class adviser.

“We had to look to see if another date was available,” Walsh said. “It was kind of a lucky break,” she added, explaining that they were able to reschedule the prom for June 14.

And while proms are scheduled years in advance, Schenectady won’t likely have to worry about a conflict with Ramadan, since it will be another 18 years before the holiday will encompass the end of May.

Mohammed is part of a steadily growing group of Afghan families that have settled in the Capital Region. Some came as refugees in recent years, said Rifat Filkins, executive director of the Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus, which helps refugees and immigrants settle in the region. Her focus has been on Albany but she knows that several Afghan families have moved to Schenectady where they have relatives.

Wygal, in the video, said she is always impressed by how members of Schenectady’s diverse student body stands up for one another, which became apparent in this issue. “These kids really do, when it comes down to it, respect one another,” she said.